Cot removal device



May 3, 1960 ca. R. WHEELER ET AL 2,934,986

COT REMOVAL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1957 FIGJ.

INVENTORS GEORGE R. WHEELER JAMES M. WOOD,5R

May 3, 1960 G. R. WHEELER ETA!- 2,934,986

001' REMOVAL DEVICE Filed April 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR S GEORGE R. WHEELER JAMES M. WOOD 8k.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent COT REMOVAL DEVICE George Rogers Wheeler and James Matthew Wood, Sr., Lanett, Ala., assignors to West Point Manufacturing Company, West Point, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application April 10, 1957, Serial No. 652,018

1 Claim. (Cl. 83-175) This invention relates to textile machinery and in particular to apparatus for removing cots from top spinning and roving rolls employed in textile drawing machines.

' Textile drafting top rolls are commonly made of metal, but may be made of or surfaced with nylon or the like. To provide resiliency, the wearing surfaces or shells of the rolls are provided with tubes or sleeves, of rubber, cork, leather, or synthetic plastic material, called cots. The cots wear and become grooved with prolonged use, but maybe reconditioned a number of times by grinding or buffing. Eventually, however, the cots become so thin or their diameter is so reduced that they must be removed and replaced. Since the cots are held fast by adhesive and/ or friction, removal of the worn cots is difiicult and time consuming, especially in the case of nylon covered and anti-friction rolls, with which exceeding care must be exercised to avoid damage to the nylon surfaces and to the bearings.

A principal object of the present invention is the provision of apparatus for removing cots from rolls with speed and efiiciency. Related objects are the provision of a cot removing device which may be power operated, which is positive in operation, and precludes the possibility of damage to the rolls and their bearings. Further objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention and the novel features thereof will be clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an illustration of a common top drawing roll, provided with cots;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with a roll operatively engaged therein;

Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of the device taken on the line '3--3 of Figure 4, illustrating the operation thereof;

Figure 4 is a plan sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a plan sectional View, on reduced scale, taken on the line '55 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 is illustrated a common top drawing roll indicated generally as 10, comprising end bearings '12 and an inner or central bearing 14 of reduced diameter. Between the bearings, the roll is formed into two cylindrical bosses or shells 16, and inclined surfaces 18 extend from the shells to the bearings. As will be understood, the roll may comprise a single shell, four shells, or other number. The roll may be of the anti-friction type, in which case the shells are mounted on anti-friction bearings, or the roll may be of solid metal, or solid nylon construction, or a metal core covered with nylon, or other construction. A tubular cot 20, which may be of rubber or rubber-like composition, is firmly and securely positioned over and around each shell 16. i

Referring to Figure 2, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises a base 30, on which an 32 at its center supports a cap 36, which in turncarries a vertically extending tubular support 38. The tubular support conveniently may be a short length of pipe, threaded into the cap 36. Arms 40 extending upwardly and inwardly from the plate32 support a ring 42, which fits closely about and stabilizes the upper end of the support 38. The upper end of the tubular support 38, preferably immediately above ring 42, is formed into an an nular frusto-conical lip 44. The lip 44 terminates in an upper or leading edge 46 substantially coincident with the inner diameter of the support, whereby an annular cutting or stripping edge is defined. From the edge 46, the lip extends outwardly and downwardly, terminating in a shoulder 48 which may rest on the ring 42. The ring 42 supports one or more brackets 50, each of which carries a knife 5'2 having an upwardy or outwardly directed cutting edge extending into substantial contact withthe lip 44. In the illustrative embodiment, three knives 52 are provided, in equal angularjspacing. Inside support 38 a follower or plunger 54 is provided, backed by a spring 56 extending between the plunger and cap 36. If desired, the support and/or plunger may be adapted in conventional manner to prevent movement of the plunger out of the upper end of the support.

Adjacent plate 32, the base 30 mounts a sooket .60, which encloses and supports a vertical standard such as lead screw 62. Means for applying pressure in lineal direction, preferably a pneumatic cylinder 64 as shown, is mounted on the lead screw 62 by suitable clamp means or the like, preferably in such manner as to permit vertical adjustment along'the length of the screw. For example, the pneumatic cylinder may be clamped or similarly engaged to a collar, which in turn is threadably engaged to the lead screw. The pneumatic cylinder is preferably of the double acting type, and provided with flexible pressure lines 66 leading thereto, and conventional control elements (not shown) which may include a pressure regulator and a four-way air valve.

The piston 70 of the air cylinder is directed vertically downwardly, in axial alignment with the support 38. To the lower end of the piston is secured an adapter indicated generally as 72, which includes a hub 74 enclosing the piston end, laterally spaced legs 76 extending downwardly therefrom, and a generally U-shaped yoke 78 mounted on the lower ends of the legs.

In operating the device, a roll 20 with cots is positioned endwise over the'support 38, and its lower end bearing 12 rested on the plunger 54. The roll may then be rocked or pivoted into vertical position, whereby its inner bearing 14 enters the yoke 78 of the adapter 72. Air pressure may then be supplied to the pneumatic cylinder 64 to extend its piston, whereupon the adapter 72 will displace the roll downwardly, causing the lower shell thereof to pass into the support 38. The inner diameter of the support corresponds closely to the outer diameter of the shell, whereby the leading edge 46 of the support will enter between the shell and its cot 20, and separate the cot therefrom and spread it laterally or radially. The cot is separated progressively along the length of the shell, and passes over the lip 44. In passage over the lip 44, the cot is cut by the knives 52 into segments, which fall away when the knife cuts reach the end of the cot, that is when the shell has passed completely within the support.

It will be noted that the yoke engages the inclined surfaces 18 of the roll, there being no pressure contact with or possible damage to the inner bearing 14 or the shell 16. The yoke is adapted, further, to engage the shell of anti-friction rolls, so that no load is transmitted to the bearings thereof. When the cot has been re moved in the manner described, the cylinder piston and the associated adapter may be retracted by the air cylinder, to lift the roll substantially to the position illustrated in Figure 2. The roll may then be removed and reversed, and the cot removed from the other shell in similar fashion. -As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the cot has been previously removed from the upper shell.

It will be evident that the inner diameter of the support 38 must correspond closely to the outer diameter of the roll shells. To utilize the device to strip' cots from rolls having shells of difierent diameter, the support 38 may be replaced by a support of different inside diameter, and the knives repositioned to contact the separating and spreading lip of the support. Similarly, the device may be readily adapted to strip cots from rolls of different length. For this purpose, the adapter may be substituted by a similar adapter of different length and/or the cylinder may be repositioned along the lead screw. To strip the cots from four shell rolls, the support 38 must be deep enough to accommodate two shells, permitting removal of the cots from two shells at either end of the roll in a single machine operation.

While the illustrative embodiment utilizes a pneumatic cylinder for power operation, it will be evident that other power means may be provided, and that manually operated means may also be utilized for the same purpose. For example, the adapter 72 may be vertically displaced by gear and rack means, as in the conventional drill press arrangement.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a structure in which the various objects hereinbefore set forth, together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is't'o be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

Apparatus for removing cots from textile rolls having shell sections intermediate bearing sections of reduced diameter comprising a base, a tubular support mounted on said base, a frusto-conical lip on the outer end of said support, said lip terminating in a leading stripping edge coincident with the inner diameter of said support and extending outwardly and rearwardly therefrom, a plurality of'outwardly facing cot cutting knives mounted in substantial contact with said lip at circumferentially spaced positions spaced rearwardly from the leading edgethereof, and means mounted on said base including a yoke adapted to fit closely around a bearing section and engage the surface between a said bearing surface and a shell section for pressing a textile roll in axial direction toward and into said support, whereby a cot on a shell section of said roll may be progressively separated therefrom by said lip and thereafter cut into segments by said knives.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 61,987 Barnes Feb. 12, 1867 774,072 Hall Nov. 1, 1904 1,366,082 Knabe Jan. 18, 1921 2,046,341 McParlin July 7, 1936 2,413,192 1 Pope Dec. 24, 1946 2,427,358 Kovach Sept. 16, 1947 2,693,025 Driscoll Nov. 2, 1954 2,731,085 Broden Jan. 17, 1956 2,781,838 Von Hagel et al Feb. 19, 1957 t mmrrt 

